Today's Wang Cuifen was truly terrifying. Without a word, Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying followed Xie Jianhua as they rushed out of the house.
"Big brother, are you okay? Second brother, wait for me..."
Once outside, they immediately felt the air was fresher and more freeing—the atmosphere inside had been suffocating.
Cripple Xie was also flustered, standing up to leave. "Cuifen, you go to the hospital first. Don’t worry about me, I’ll catch up later."
Being crippled, he walked slowly and would inevitably be the last to arrive at the hospital.
He didn’t blame Wang Cuifen for her harsh words, only thinking she might be worried about their child and urging her to hurry to check on their eldest son.
Yet, though Wang Cuifen’s expression was grim and her eyes seemed vacant, her body remained rooted to the chair, unmoving.
"Cuifen? Cuifen?" Cripple Xie called out twice more.
Wang Cuifen snapped out of her daze and looked up at him.
Though he didn’t ask, she couldn’t help but explain, "I was teaching him a lesson."
The child belonged to both of them, and when it came to discipline, Cripple Xie should have a say. But in the past, Wang Cuifen had always shielded the child, leaving little room for him to intervene.
Cripple Xie didn’t criticize her methods, only softly reminded her, "Your words today were a bit too harsh."
"A good drum doesn’t need a heavy hammer, but is our eldest son a good drum?" Wang Cuifen retorted.
These past few days, Xie Jianzhong had been throwing tantrums, and she hadn’t held back in scolding him—yet it had no effect. He kept acting out.
At the mention of their eldest son’s temperament, Cripple Xie fell silent.
"If I don’t give him a real scare, he’ll keep thinking his petty, shameful tricks actually work. I just want him to know that none of us are blind. Next time he does something, he should think—is it disgraceful? Can he bear the judgment?"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
"If he weren’t my own flesh and blood, I wouldn’t bother wasting my energy disciplining him."
Even knowing he was an unfilial son and that she couldn’t rely on him in the future, Wang Cuifen still refused to let him rot in the mud. After all, he was her own child.
"Enough, stop dawdling. Go to the hospital and check on him. Don’t let him actually collapse from anger—his health’s never been strong," she said.
Cripple Xie sighed. "If you knew his health was poor, why scold him so harshly? You never used to be this hard on him."
Wang Cuifen replied calmly, "Now I am."
Because he was her child, she was still willing to teach him. But expecting her to pour her heart out for him? That was impossible.
Su Qing understood the deeper meaning behind her words, but Cripple Xie didn’t grasp it fully. He simply assumed Wang Cuifen was being tough out of love, disciplining him harshly because she cared.
As he limped toward the hospital, he muttered to himself, "Scolding him so fiercely now, but later she’ll regret it and fret. After all these years, she still acts without thinking ahead."
He thought Wang Cuifen was at home, silently regretting her outburst.
But halfway through clearing the dishes, Wang Cuifen suddenly said, "I feel incredibly relieved right now."
Having vented all her anger, of course she felt lighter.
"That’s wonderful!" Su Qing chimed in quickly. "That just proves you were right to scold Big Brother! From now on, don’t hold back your anger—if you feel like scolding someone, just do it. And if I ever misbehave, Mom, don’t hesitate to scold me too."
Wang Cuifen knew better. "Why would I scold you? You’re so well-behaved."
Scolding Su Qing wouldn’t give her any satisfaction. Only berating her own unfilial son would do the trick.
Xie Jianzhong was a grown man. Though his health was weak, he wasn’t so fragile that anger alone could kill him.
He regained consciousness not long after arriving at the hospital.
Awake, but still seething.
Wang Cuifen’s harsh words from noon echoed in his mind, replaying relentlessly.
The humiliation was unbearable. Even after waking, he kept his eyes shut, lying motionless on the bed, unwilling to speak.
"Big Brother, are you feeling unwell anywhere else?" Xie Jianhua asked gently from the side. His attitude was kind—he had long since let go of childhood grievances.
But his words only made Xie Jianzhong’s heart race, his blood boiling with renewed shame.
How had his family seen him all these years? Did they all look down on him? Were they all laughing at him behind his back...
Not wanting to provoke him further, Xie Jianhua stopped pressing when he got no response.
Cripple Xie, who had already discussed things with Wang Cuifen, was far less gentle. "Enough, Xie Jianzhong. It’s not that serious. Now that you’re awake, hurry back to work. Don’t waste hospital resources lying around for no reason."
As a factory employee, his hospitalization was free—but with no serious condition, the doctors would send him home anyway.
Too devastated to respond, Xie Jianzhong silently left for work.
With both father and son gone, it fell to Xie Jianhua and his siblings to report back home that all was well.
"See? I knew he’d be fine. If I haven’t died from his antics yet, he’d have to be truly pathetic to drop dead from anger," Wang Cuifen said coolly. "Forget about him. Jianhua, focus on teaching Su Qing this afternoon—that’s what really matters."
Once Xie Jianhua left, there’d be no more convenient tutor around—someone educated, patient, and willing to endure her temper. Outsiders wouldn’t put up with it.
Wang Cuifen’s indifferent attitude stunned Xie Jianhua and his siblings.
No one knew what had provoked her sudden crackdown on their eldest brother, but Xie Jianhua became obedient, while Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying didn’t dare go out to fool around, staying home quietly instead.
At a time like this, no one could guarantee they wouldn’t be next.
But compared to Xie Jianhua, Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying were still green—lacking experience.
When they saw Su Qing reviewing high school material, they burst out laughing.
"Second Sister-in-Law, you didn’t even finish elementary school. Do you even understand what you’re reading—"
Before they could finish, Wang Cuifen swung a broom at them. "Out! Get out and play! Stop making a ruckus in here. You two little troublemakers, don’t distract your Second Sister-in-Law from studying!"
Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying bolted like startled rabbits.
Scolding her eldest son into unconsciousness wasn’t enough for Wang Cuifen. With three unfilial children, she had no intention of letting Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying off the hook either.
Leaning on the broom, she grumbled, "These two are old enough to know better, yet all they do is fool around. Starting tomorrow, once you’re back at work, I’m assigning them chores—cooking, washing dishes, laundry. No more lazing about."
"Mom, you should’ve done this ages ago. Watching you shoulder everything alone breaks my heart," Su Qing said, Wang Cuifen’s most loyal supporter.
Wang Cuifen sighed. "They should learn from you. You’re so sensible."
Su Qing lowered her head with a modest smile, thinking to herself: Now that her marriage was settled, Wang Cuifen was unleashing her wrath. The Xie family’s easy days were over.
